Columns of the generic kind as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,711,054 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,718 have an outer guide tube of metal, in the latter's upper portion facing away from a bottom plate, a guide sleeve of plastic material being arranged extending only over part of the length of the guide tube.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,646 has already proposed to shape such guide sleeves on their internal surface by broaching such that spread over the circumference, partial cylinder surfaces are provided as guide surfaces with recesses in between them, in which a lubricant can be stored.